Players Whose Rookie Years Were Their Best

[Terry Yake]

mikael renberg

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Max Comtois led the Ducks in scoring in his first "full" (twas pandemic shortened) season as an NHLer, with 33 points in 55 games in his age 21 season. After two dismal seasons to follow, he spent last year in the AHL, and now at age 25 he is in the KHL where he currently sits tied for 86th in points.

 

[Rebels57]

mikael renberg

Not quite - he had a better GPG and PPG in his sophomore season (57 points in 47 games) but it was shortened by the lock-out.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

Stanislav Chistov for the Ducks

He scored 12 goals and 30 points for the Ducks in 79 games an six more points on their way to the cup finals

He split the next season between the NHL and AHL and played only more season in the NHL after trying a comeback

I was so stoked when the Bruins signed him.
Stoke faded quick haha

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Max Comtois led the Ducks in scoring in his first "full" (twas pandemic shortened) season as an NHLer, with 33 points in 55 games in his age 21 season. After two dismal seasons to follow, he spent last year in the AHL, and now at age 25 he is in the KHL where he currently sits tied for 86th in points.

Eh, it’s a living and whatnot- what went wrong? Just a middling scorer who didn’t develop the rest of his game?

Jacob Bryson almost fits, but his stat line is more comically predictable. 1 goal a season, 7-9 assists. He played some of his best hockey his rookie year though imo.

 

[Terry Yake]

Stanislav Chistov for the Ducks

He scored 12 goals and 30 points for the Ducks in 79 games an six more points on their way to the cup finals

He split the next season between the NHL and AHL and played only more season in the NHL after trying a comeback

really thought he was going to become a star after his 03 playoffs

wonder if his career would've turned out better had he come up post-lockout

 

[SallyBalls]

Luke Hughes

 

[Forge]

Will Butcher looked like a steal in his rookie year (44 points as a rookie defenseman), but it turned out that he was just in the right place at the right time and came back down to earth. No longer in the league.

I of Butcher as well. Humorously, they followed that up with Ty Smith who had 23 points in only 48 games his rookie year and can't stick in the NHL in recent seasons.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Nick Robertson...

 

[Zenos]

He’s carved out a career as a good complimentary winger and excellent all-roles Special-Teams player, but baby Nuge was the most dynamic, creative, and offensively dangerous he’s ever looked.

Maybe it was just a flash in the pan, maybe it was the injuries, the decade of terrible teams and a rotation of equally awful coaches, but he just never reached that level again.

 

[Djp]

With Kapanen being waived recently, it got me thinking about players who peaked their rookie year. Kap had 20 goals and 44 points, he never hit 20 goals or 40 points in his 6 years since. Andreas Johnsson who was a linemate had similar stats with 20 goals and 43 points, he was out of the league 5 years later.

Nail Yakupov is another obvious one, who else?

There have been a few goalies over the years. I font know if just was officially their rookie year.

 

[iliketorock]

He’s carved out a career as a good complimentary winger and excellent all-roles Special-Teams player, but baby Nuge was the most dynamic, creative, and offensively dangerous he’s ever looked.

Maybe it was just a flash in the pan, maybe it was the injuries, the decade of terrible teams and a rotation of equally awful coaches, but he just never reached that level again.

Rookie nuge was awesome. I'll never forget when he put that cut move on Lidstrom as a rookie, it's on YouTube and nothing crazy, but it was awesome to watch. Shoulder injury in Red Deer which followed him around even after he got surgery on it in 2013. Skate tounges out Nuge gave me hope. But he was an 18 year old boy trapped in a 7 year old girls body.

 

[dirtydanglez]

xhekaj

 

[brentashton]

Sergei makarov, won the Calder with 86 pts and a +33, never topped those stats again

You missed the gist of the question.

 

[Breakers]

Podkolzin

 

[orby]

Olli Maatta.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Tyler Myers

 

[WatchfulElm]

Jordan Staal got 29 goals as an 18 years old rookie, which made everybody think he had 50 goals potential. Never scored more than 25 after that but still had a great career as a 2nd/3rd line center.

Gilbert Dionne : 21 goals, 34 points in 39 games as a rookie. Quickly earned the nickname "The King" because of his Elvis impersonation. Never came close to matching that level of production after that.

 

[blankall]

Yakupov. He looked like the real deal in his rookie season. Afterwards, not so much.

Andrew Raycroft. He didn't reach the minimum games to qualify as a rookie until 2003/04. Never came close to reproducing those numbers.

 

[abax44]

Selanne is probably the most obvious.

Points, sure. He had better, more complete seasons, though.

 

[Casper The Soy Ghost]

Will Butcher looked like a steal in his rookie year (44 points as a rookie defenseman), but it turned out that he was just in the right place at the right time and came back down to earth. No longer in the league.

He got butchered.

 

[carjackmalone]

Wes waltz
Ken Hodge jr
Eric Vail
Doug Wickenheiser

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Eh, it’s a living and whatnot- what went wrong? Just a middling scorer who didn’t develop the rest of his game?

Jacob Bryson almost fits, but his stat line is more comically predictable. 1 goal a season, 7-9 assists. He played some of his best hockey his rookie year though imo.

Max didn't seem have the work ethic to stay in peak condition nor the mental resolve in order to have any consistency. Showed little flashes here and there but they were few and far between. When they showed him on camera in the locker room, he looked visibly out of shape.

 

[syz]

Sam Gagner.

 

[Toby91ca]

Points, sure. He had better, more complete seasons, though.

I get it….simply suggesting it was an obvious one…..